California High (teaser)

SBS acquires pot doc “California High”

Produced by UK indie Ivy Film, the film looks at issues surrounding the debate to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California ahead of the U.S. state’s vote on the issue in November 2016. SBS will air the film early next year.

The doc features interviews with advocates on both sides of the issue, including pot advocate Allen St. Pierre and anti-drug crusader Kevin Sabet, and takes viewers inside the secret indoor grow rooms of Los Angeles and to mountainous Humboldt County where the plant is grown. Directors Matthew O’Connor and Barnaby O’Connor attempt to go beyond political rhetoric and explore how many individuals against legalization are already growing marijuana in California.

California High has screened at the Newport Beach International Film Festival and at the British Film Institute in London. Distributor Orange Smarty is handling TV sales for the doc, while Parkland Pictures is overseeing feature sales.

*** SYNOPSIS ***

When California introduced medical marijuana laws in 1996 it sparked a chain reaction that led to 18 other states passing similar laws. Two states – Washington and Colorado – even legalised marijuana for recreational use.

With a full legalisation vote due in 2016, California is now considered by many as the key battleground state in the national marijuana debate. A debate that has divided Americans for over fifty years.

From the concrete jungles of LA to the remote isolation of Northern California, “California High” takes you on a journey through the eyes of growers, cops, politicians and ordinary Californians to get up close and personal with the issues. It shows for the first time how truly complex the situation is.

Away from the usual hyperbole and extremism typically surrounding marijuana it quickly becomes clear that this is a story full of surprises and unexpected twists. Who would have thought, for example, that many of people against the legalisation of marijuana in California are those that are already growing it? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg… This is an opportunity to hear all the sides of the story and make your own mind up.

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